Stage 7: Trentin pips Sagan
In the latest Telegraph Cycling Podcast, supported by Jaguar we discuss stage seven from Epernay to Nancy, won by Italy’s Matteo Trentin.
The final part of the stage was marred by a crash involving America’s Andrew Talansky, who blamed Simon Gerrans of Australia. The podcast was on hand to capture his furious reaction as he crossed the line demanding an apology from Gerrans -- hear the audio at the start of the latest episode.
There are also interviews with Gerrans, Ted King, Peter Sagan, Michael Rogers and the oldest man in the race, Jens Voigt.
Gerrans, who was fifth on the stage, refused to accept that he was to blame for Talansky’s crash. “He looked over his right shoulder while I was coming from the left,” said Gerrans. “I’m sorry he crashed but I think as everyone saw there was no malice in it.”
In the rest of the podcast, Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe analyse a stage that was arguably lost by Sagan as much as it was won by Trentin. Sagan has now finished in the top five in all seven stages, an astonishing run, but he is still lacking his first stage win of this Tour. His teammate Ted King tells us that Sagan is not frustrated, just determined.
On the eve of three stages in the Vosges mountains, Rogers, an experienced and important teammate to Alberto Contador, who is two-and-a-half minutes down on Vincenzo Nibali, told us: “I won’t lie, it would be better if we were closer. Alberto had some problems on the pavé stage but we by no means think the race is over. Now the race starts.”
And in an extended interview Voigt, riding his seventeenth Tour de France, confirms that 2014 will be definitely be his last.
Listen to the podcast to hear how to win a special prize -- a phone call from Garmin-Sharp boss Jonathan Vaughters on Tuesday’s rest day.